Office



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y Be `it.` `known `that I," `JAMES FL ,MING, of Portsmouth, in] thel county of` Norfolk and lStateQofwVrginia, have invented a new and fuseful Machine forSawingz Oft PilesUnder Water; `1 and I do/herebydeclare that the "follow-ing is; a full, clear, `and "exact descrip- "tion" of the.` construction and operation of the 1 samer; reference being had to the annexedv drawings, making a partfofxthisspecifica- Figure l isza plan; Fig. 2, an elevation; `Figa 3, `another.` elevation showing `more clearly some ofthe "details, and Figaother details; a l" 1 ,j

m5! `The nature of my invention consists. in the adaptation of af circulanfsaw `with its neces- "salrylgear to a olamportongs, in such amannerathat the latter may befsecured to, or upo-n thepilevto besaweddoif while the-:former may j be adj usted and: actedupon so? as to. `out olf thepileat anydesired,depthlxunder water. l'Io enable others skilled"`in theartfto make' j ndjfusefmy invention; I willfproceedlzto de-` scribe its construction and `operation;

9"; 'Ilhellower po tion @fit-he machineAggis a clamp or tongs thetwoLpartsthei-eof moving upon alpivot @,'lthetendslofi the "tongsitformy the jaws `B\,\fof1"` fasteningto the `pileto "besawed are armed withteeth btb! 6.2); for j `jthe purpose-lof `fastening"more securely. These tongs arefusually made with the ends B1` somewhat lower than the other, as `repre "sented l in""thegdrawing, the object of which l arrangement is to keep thelonger ortion .of j the" tongstclear` of `such [piles as` Lhave been"` 1 sawedgffl' while the `claiiipi or jaws areib'eing adjusted tol `theothers vito.`V` be sawed'f. l The jaws are madeto jofpenltol receive thevpiles and to `shut` by; fineans wlafrsmall pinion c which engages the teeth of a" curved rackd, the center .from `whicli it ils@ formed. fbeing at a'. The rack @Z is" fixed to one end of the tongs" `at "ai and passes `threudghwaslot.e` in the other j end inwhichturnsthe pinion c. This upinion `is moved "by V.thevertical rod C, the lower end of `which fforms` `thetaxisxupon which it turns` f isa capstanwheel for turningthis `vertical. rod.` Above the pinion cand fixed to the vertical `rod "G "which t passes through its "center is a "ratchet wheel g which j turns with the rod" and receives ahpawl tconnected 1 to the end of a verticali` rod D; the rod D is j borne in one `part` or,` arm of the tongs and `559 is moved the handle/1I."

degreerequired in the Eis an uprightaatiqnary stattfindet j A. TEWSTATESPATENT orrion t itilontani non" sAwiNG- orrriLEs `mman WATER.`

` speciacatbn ofV Letters Patent No., 12,1789, dated May 1, 185.5.

into one of the parts ofV the tongs and at right angles: with them; at the top ofthis Y shaft is a ring 7c by which the machine is raised or lowered in the water. Upon the shaft E are bornethe two. armsF F which swing freely at right angles` with it, and carry in the boxes at therends Z Z the vertical shaft G to. which the saw I-I and the pulley I are fixed. The saw shaft has a xed bearing inthe lower box Z by means of the projections `b b while it slides freely through `the upper box Z. The saw H is secured tothe end ofthe shaftGr by a square projection on the latter passing through a corresponding hole in the saw and being screwed on to the end of the shaft with countersunkl headiscrewsso that the undersideof the sawA maybe left perfectly plane.

` The `driving pulley J which co-mmunicates action to the machine, and the friction wheel K `are connected so as to revolve together and run loose upon the shaft E, the wheel K giving motion to the saw by acting upon the pulley I; Thepulley I by means of a featherV running infa spline r cut in the shaft G can `be moyedfupxor dow'nso as always Vto run inconnection` with theA wheel K. The wheel K pulley I although here represented to actiby the adhesion or friction of their surfaces may be made to act either by a belt or gear. w The arms F F" have each two branches terminatingin the bosses m m m m, through which theshaft E passes, and between these bosses another and similar set of arms L L are borne on" the shaft. The lower arm L is xed in avert-ical position upon the shaft j andlis made, by means of a feather n acting andfdown." l v Thequpperarm L is placedexactly over the `@lower'one L and secured in the same vertical plane with it by means of set screws o o, thisarm L being hung and secured on the shaftE between the bo-sses of thearm F, as vseen more clearly in Fig. 3, 'supports this latter armand confines it in its horizontal position; the upper arm F being thus supported and secured, admits of the lower arm F" being adjusted at any distance from it by means of the turnbuckle p operating upon the screw at the end of the rod g at- `in a `spline n cut inthe shaft, to move up tached to and turning in this lowerarm and A small pinion al is placed in a slot in each of the outer ends of the arms L L which engage into the teeth of the curved racks t t having their center at w and passing through the slot and fixed to the arms F F respectively near their outer ends. These pinions are turned by the vertical rod y to which is fixed the hand feed wheel z. This arrangement is for feeding up the saw as it is required when cutting off piles and will be more particularly described Y hereafter.

The arln M is borne on the vertical shaft E between the bosses of the arm L and secured directly over one of the arms of the tongs in the same direction with it, by means of a set screw s, and is for the purpose of holding up the rods C and D.

Another arm N called the indicator is attached to the shaft E and points in the direction of the center of the jaws B, its end being very nearly over this point. The purpose of the indicator is to show the' position of the jaws when the lower part of the machine is submerged.

The pile finder O, Fig. 4 is a simple conical hood of sheet iron or other thin metal fixed to the end of a pole or handle u, and is used for searching and showing the position ,of the pile to be sawed off.

Having thus described the machine, I will proceed to show its operation. It can be used either from a ioating vessel, or from a fixed scaold; but as I have only had it in operation from the latter, I will explain the method of its use and adjustment with this arrangement.

A sim le frame of wood supported upon the scafijold placed over the piles to be sawed, with any arrangement for hoisting and lowering, or a crane, may be used for suspending the machine by the ring lo. The pile to be sawed being found by the finder O, whose handle, being held vertically, indicates the position of the pile under its hood, the machine, with the jaws B opened, is brought toward it in the direction shown by the indicator N, and when the pile has entered the jaws, the whole machine is lowered approximately to the depth required by the sawing. The jaws B are then closed around the pile by turning the capstan wheel f which moves the pinion c and brings together the opposite extremities of the tongs by means of the curved rack d. The pawl L is then thrown into the ratchet g and efectually secures the hold of the jaws upon the pile.

The head of the shaft E is next braced or secured in its proper position, and an exact adjust-ment of the saw to the depth of cutting off the pile, made by means of the turnbuckle p operating upon the screw at the end of the rod g which raises or lowers the arm F carrying the lower end of the shaft G to which the saw is fixed. In this adjustment of the saw it will be observed that the horizontal position of the upper arm F is ixed, as before described,V

and the saw shaft slides freely through the box l at its extremity. Motion is then given to the pulley J, by means of a belt proceeding from the driving power, and communicated to the pulley I through the wheel K, and the saw set in action. The operation of feeding up the saw to the pile is then effected by means of the small pinions d d in the ends of the arms L L and the curved racks t z5. The arms L L being fixed in their vertical position upon the shaft E, the lower one L, by means of the feather n actf ing in the spline n', and the upper one L by the set screws 0 0, as before described, cannot swing upon the shaft E but form the fixed points of resistance from which the arms F F carrying the saw shaft and saw, are moved; the small pinionsr d d consequently, acting upon the curved racks t fixed to the ends of the arms F F, communicate a horizontal motion to these latter arms which carry the saw t-oward the pile, the feed being regulated at pleasure and while the sawing is going on, by means of the hand feed wheel, e.

lVhen the pile 4is cut off, the saw is drawn back byl reversing the motion of the feed wheel, the pawl it thrown out of the ratchet g, and the jaws B loosened from the pile by the reverse motion of the pinion c, and the machine moved to other piles requiring its action.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1 l. The combination of a circular saw and its shaft carried in movable arms upon andaround a stationary shaft which sustains the driving pulleys, and which is ixedto an adjustable tongs or clamp, substantially as above described, for the purpose of cutting or sawing off piles under water.

2. I also claim the method of fastening to the pile to be sawed by means of a clamp or adjustable tongs with suitable jaws and teeth as above described.

3. I further claim the method of feeding a circular saw from points of resistance fixed upon a stationary shaft, by means of arms, curved racks and pinions, as above set forth.

JAMES FLEMING.

Witnesses:

CALVIN BROWN, LEMUEL T. CLEAVES. 

